Obesity’s association to TV watching partially explained by eating while watching TV

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Friday, May 09, 2008 10:22 am Email this article
Eating food while watching television has more to do with the increased risk of obesity associated with TV watching than does leisure time activity according to a study from Australia. Women

Women watching 3 hrs of TV vs 1 hr are 1.9 times more likely to have severe belly fat

Women watching more than 3 hours of television per day were 1.9 times more likely to have severe abdominal obesity than women who watched one hour or less.

 

Men

Men watching 3 hrs of TV vs 1 hr are 2.2 times more likely to have severe belly fat

Men watching more than 3 hours of television per day were 2.2 times more likely to have severe abdominal obesity than women who watched one hour or less.

 

Leisure Time Exercise

Adjusting for leisure time activity ‘made little difference’

Adjusting for the amount of leisure time activity “made little difference”, the researchers noted.

 

Food and Drink While Watching TV

Food and drink consumed during TV watching is partially responsible for the increased risk

But adjusting for food and beverages consumed while watching TV reduced this from 1.9 time to 1.5 time in women, and from 2.2 times to 1.7 times in women.

This means that food and drink consumed while watching TV is at least partially responsible for the increased risk of severe belly fat from watching more TV.

“The association between TV viewing and [ waist circumference ] in young adults may be partially explained by food and beverage consumption during TV viewing but was not explained by a reduction in overall [ leisure-time physical activity ],” the researchers concluded.

 

Subjects

Subjects: 2001 adults, 26-36 years-old

The study involved 2001 Australian adults who were 26- to 36-years-old.

REFERENCE

Cleland VJ, Schmidt MD,Terence Dwyer Venn AJ. Television viewing and abdominal obesity in young adults: Is the association mediated by food and beverage consumption during viewing time or reduced leisure-time physical activity? Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 May, 87(5):1148-55.

 

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